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Satellite Eötvös Test of the Weak Equivalence Principle for Zero-Point Vacuum Energy

J. W. Moffat·G. T. Gillies
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Abstract

An Eötvös experiment to test the weak equivalence principle (WEP) for zero-point vacuum energy is proposed using a satellite. Following the suggestion of Ross for a terrestrial experiment of this type, the acceleration of a spherical test mass of aluminum would be compared with that of a similar test mass made from another material. The estimated ratio of the zero-point vacuum energy density inside the aluminum sphere to the rest mass energy density is ~ 1.6 X 10^{-14}, which would allow a 1% resolution of a potential WEP violation observed in a satellite mission test that had a baseline sensitivity to WEP violations of ~ 10^{-16}. An observed violation of the WEP for vacuum energy density would constitute a significant clue as to the origin of the cosmological constant and the source of dark energy, and test a recently proposed resolution of the cosmological constant problem, based on a model of nonlocal quantum gravity and quantum field theory.

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J. W. Moffat, G. T. Gillies. 2002-10-28. Satellite Eötvös Test of the Weak Equivalence Principle for Zero-Point Vacuum Energy. https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630%2F4%2F1%2F392

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